The present application relates to GPS user devices in vehicles and more particularly to sharing of driver developed or at least driver influenced navigation information among drivers' respective GPS devices.
Global positioning systems (GPS's) are available in more and more vehicles to provide navigation information for drivers. Due to competition for the large market and due to constantly improving technology, development efforts have brought about advances in vehicle navigation GPS's. For example, US Patent Application 20040128071, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes a GPS simulation technique for a driving itinerary which provides a digitized map setting out static environmental features. US Patent Application 20080019221, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes a system for playing audio recordings on a GPS user device. US Patent Application 20080024364, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes a GPS information system capable of downloading audio-visual information associated with GPS coordinates. US Patent Application 20030100316, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes acquiring map information and landmark information using GPS coordinates for a device such as a PDA.
Even with the help of state-of-the-art GPS's, however, it is not uncommon for drivers to get lost and select wrong turns, especially where there are multiple turning options. In many cases, the consequences of these wrong turns are not trivial. Thus, a need still exists for further improvements in the nature of navigation information provided by GPS's to drivers, the way the information is presented, and the way that drivers interact with their GPS's.